The Bells Of Dublin

This 1991 album still stands as an unlikely holiday classic -- unlikely because only a handful of the usual suspects make it on here. Yes, you'll hear "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "O Holy Night" and a healthy heap of other traditional sets, but the bulk of The Bells of Dublin plumbs deep into the season, featuring Breton and French carols and the odd, Elvis Costello-sung "St. Stephen's Day Murders." The sprawling album commences with the chiming bells of Dublin's Christchurch Cathedral, and they appear throughout. Jackson Browne, Rickie Lee Jones, Marianne Faithfull and many others guest.